Word Origin & History

royalty late 14c., "office or position of a sovereign," from O.Fr. roialte, from V.L. *regalitatem (nom. *regalitas), from L. regalis (see royal). Sense of "prerogatives or rights granted by a sovereign to an individual or corporation" is from late 15c. From that evolved more general senses, such as "payment to a landowner for use of a mine" (1839), and ultimately "payment to an author, composer, etc." for sale or use of his or her work (1857).

Example Sentences for royalty

With less than two million inhabitants, she supports all the costly trappings of royalty, and keeps an army and navy.

And what royalty does the discoverer get for this wonder of chemistry?

It has not been inhabited by royalty since the Revolution, but is a museum devoted “to all the glories of France.”

There ought to be occasions when no royalty is taken at all.

But they were very early an emblem of royalty: and it is a circumstance included in their original name.

Hog-headed brother of swine, is it thus that you wait upon my Royalty?

It was enough for him that an Appanage of Royalty had said that some day, perhaps, he would give him his gold cap.

I don't in the least mean to say that we were the sort of persons who aspired to mix "with royalty."

A kraal occurs every four or five years, or when a British royalty happens in Ceylon.